The Hanging Restaurant of Fangweng, China

If you’re one of those more adventurous travelers that don’t mind eating a meal suspended hundreds of feet in the air, there’s a restaurant for you in China.  Located in Yichang, in the HappyValley of the Xiling Gorge, Fangweng gives one the opportunity to experience a vertigo-inducing walk as well as chowing down in a dining area that is both built into a natural cave and protruding from the cliffside.

The approach to Fangweng involves crossing a covered pathway that is built atop a concrete structure secured into the side of the cliff.  This 30-foot passage hovers at more than two hundred feet above the valley floor.  When you reach the restaurant proper, you have a bit more choice of whether you wish to test your fear of heights.  The dining area is located mostly within a cave, with one bit built on a man-made ledge.

Though this may put you off of your meal, the view from the restaurant is truly amazing.  Below and beyond, you can see the cliffs and caves of Xiling Gorge.  At the bottom of the gorge, the Yangtze River flows.  Across the way, you can enjoy some entertainment as people test their own mettle by jumping from a bungee platform.

The restaurant itself is decorated in a mixture of the man-made and natural.  They’ve made every attempt to keep most of the restaurant as original as possible, so the ceilings and walls are mostly the original cave rock.  The lighting is set up to match, with a dim atmosphere that evokes cave-life.  The menu is composed of mostly of local and traditional items such as fish, duck and turtle, all spiced up liberally as is the fashion of the area.

Fangweng is conveniently located nearby another great tourist attraction, the Three Travelers’ Cave, and there are many other things to do while in the HappyValley region.  If you’re looking for a unique dining experience and don’t think you’ll get too dizzy, check out Fangweng and enjoy a meal high above the safety of solid ground.

Fangweng photo courtesy of neatorama.com